Trevor

Chapter 3-1

Chapter 3

For the rest of the week his days blended together. The weather wasn’t great and there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic around midday, so Trevor decided to work on his menu and get his creative juices flowing. He was in the kitchen, trying a new sandwich recipe made with home-baked Ciabatta and covered in ingredients, when he heard the front door open. The strong and soothing voice of the stranger from the other day drifted to him.

His mind had refused to dwell on the stranger after dreaming about him for two nights in a row, and then not seeing him again. First, he was upset that the stranger maybe didn’t like his place, then realized maybe he was a passerby, maybe visiting someone locally, and left town. His heart beat madly as he listened to the hottie’s order. He wanted to run up to the front, but didn’t want it to be obvious he’d been waiting for him to appear again. He decided to bring out his creations to share with whoever was in. Some of his regulars loved when he tried something new and they happened to be there, and able to give their valued opinions. It was another reason they loved coming. His staff greeted everyone by name and remembered their orders, but they also valued their opinions and critiques when there was any. From the young crowd to the older folk, they had something for everyone to enjoy, and loved to see people happy. That’s why he got into this business in the first place.

Trevor looked in the small kitchen mirror and realized he was a mess. But what if he took the time to straighten himself and missed the stranger? He didn’t know if he would get this chance again. So, he brushed off what he could, changed his dirty smock, and went out front with a tray of sweets and sandwiches, surreptitiously scanning the area for the stranger.

The rain was still coming down, so he wouldn’t be outside. strumming on his guitar, and he didn’t see him up front. He made eye contact with Dana who pointed in the direction of the lounge area at the back of the building. He’d mentioned the stranger to Dana when he returned from running errands the first day, and since then she’s been on the lookout for him. He’d stressed the fact to her he wasn’t looking for a man but he was intrigued, nothing but intrigued. Dana’d just smiled and patted his shoulder.

Trevor looked over and there was the stranger, head down, studying his notebook and taking his guitar out of its case. He then loosened his neck muscles with a side-to-side stretch before setting the strap over his shoulders. He glanced up, probably sensing someone staring at him. Trevor kicked himself. The first time they met he went speechless, now here he was gawking like a twelve-year old seeing his first crush. Clearing his throat, he walked up front and started towards the table of ladies in the corner knitting and gabbing about the news. They were his favorite group of regulars; they treated him like their son and gave him their opinions on his new creations. He handed each of them their choice and a comment card and a wink at which they all giggled.

“Trevor, I just loved that new photograph you hung at the senior center! The colors behind the church at sunset were so beautiful, it took my breath away,” Marge, one of his favorite people in the world, said.

“Thanks Marge. I took the photo and thought that would be the perfect place for it.” Marge was the sweetest person he ever met. She was turning eighty soon, and her son reached out to him about having a special cake created. Trevor wanted it to be fun with lots of colors. She supported his café by stopping by as often as she could, and brought her knitting buddies with her.

Trevor made his way over to the stranger again, not wanting to bother him and have him leave, but he couldn’t help himself. He had to hear that deep voice talk to him again.

“Umm, I have been trying out some new recipes and when I do, I like to get feedback from customers to see if it is something they would like on the menu in the future. Anything I can interest you in?” Trevor looked at the stranger as he adjusted his guitar on his lap and looked up at the tray of offerings.

“I actually wasn’t hungry, but…” The stranger looked at the tray and chose a sandwich of honey-oat pita bread with chicken, pesto, and dill dressing.

“I’ll leave this opinion card. If you’re interested in filling it out, great, if not, no worries.” Trevor was about to walk away when the stranger grabbed his forearm. It took all of his concentration not to drop the tray and make a fool of himself. The stranger’s grip all but seared his arm and he wanted to fan himself. Get a grip! This isn’t the first hot guy in here!

“I can tell you now, if you want to wait a moment.” The stranger looked at the other chair, inviting Trevor to sit down. He took a large bite of the sandwich and closed his eyes momentarily, savoring the bite. Trevor stared in wonder as he chewed and swallowed, grabbed the napkin out of the holder on the table, dabbed at his mouth, and then grinned. “Delicious.”

Trevor’s chest puffed with pride. He loved making people happy with his food and drinks, and the stranger’s grin made his day even better.

“Umm, great. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m Trevor. This is my place.” He waved his hand to encompass the room. The stranger looked at him for a moment, then at the place, and back to Trevor. He was getting hot under the collar at the scrutiny, but thought the guy had a touch of admiration in his eyes. Trevor put his hand out to the stranger.

“Jordan.” The sexy dreamer now known as Jordan shook Trevor’s hand. His grip was tight, and Trevor noticed the softness of his hands and that the tips of his fingers were rough, probably from playing guitar. He refused to let his mind wander to his rough fingers touching his…Stop this, Trevor, he admonished himself.

“Hey, Trevor you have a phone call!” Dana yelled from the front of the shop. Trevor wanted to stomp his feet at being interrupted with Jordan, but he had a business to run, and if they asked specifically for him it might be important. The day to day calls were taken care of by Dana or Jacob. Both had been with Trevor since the place opened, and were more than capable of dealing with day to day issues or taking messages.

“Please excuse me, it was nice meeting you.”

“Same,” Jordan said.

Trevor walked away to grab the phone call. As he walked away, he chanced another look at Jordan, and smiled when he caught him checking out his ass. It made him want to strut a little, but he refrained. But it made him feel good to know Jordan wasn’t immune to his looks, as he wasn’t to Jordan’s.

After an extra-long phone call with his mother about an upcoming fundraiser she was spearheading at the senior center, Trevor went back to see if Jordan was still there, but he wasn’t. He hoped he would run into him again somewhere, or maybe Jordan would return. He intrigued him, but he wasn’t completely sure why.